Abstract:
Water scarcity is a major global issue that requires efficient water management
strategies. The goal of this project is to create environmentally friendly rainwater
harvesting methods for the NUST H-12 campus in Islamabad, Pakistan. In order to
maximise water capture, storage, and quality, our goals also included assessing current
rainwater harvesting models, testing water quality, conducting resistivity studies, and
developing novel water harvesting methods.
Three water harvesting structures systems that are currently in use were evaluated:
Volleyball Ground Bore, NICE Backyard Bore, and NICE Ground Bore. The
Volleyball Ground Bore appears to be the most efficient technology available at the
moment, as it showed the maximum efficiency in both water infiltration and storage.
Enhancing infiltration rates and boosting storage capacity were two suggestions for
improvement.
World Health Organisation (WHO) requirements were compared to harvested
rainwater parameters, including TDS, turbidity, alkalinity, pH, EC, nitrates, hardness,
and chlorides, through comprehensive water quality testing. The water does not require
a lot of filtering to meet WHO guidelines for non-potable uses, such irrigation and toilet
flushing.
The ideal locations for new infrastructure were identified by resistivity investigations
conducted at four candidate sites. These measurements also helped with the placement
of bio retention zones, percolation pits, and roof water harvesting systems. To make
sure systems could manage peak rainfall events, we used Intensity-Duration-Frequency
(IDF) curves to compute design discharges and choose suitable pipe diameters.
A novel self-backwashing filtering system was created to sustainably maintain water
quality. With its low maintenance needs and self-cleaning capacity, this energyefficient system ensures continual filtering with little need for human interaction.
The suggested harvesting locations could greatly lessen flash flooding and increase
water availability during dry spells, according to simulations of rainfall runoff.
Rainwater collecting has the ability to alleviate water scarcity issues on campus; the
total annual water gathered from roof water harvesting was estimated to be about
37,637,011 litres.
This study emphasises the significance of combining cutting-edge technologies and
strategic planning in sustainable water management and offers a repeatable model for
cities experiencing comparable difficulties.
